The Guardian
Thousands of protesters gathered and marched in cities and at airports across the US on Sunday, in opposition to the executive order from Donald Trump which imposed a freeze on refugee admissions and a ban on travel from seven Muslim-majority countries .
In a statement on Sunday, Trump insisted the order was not a Muslim ban of the kind he called for on the campaign trail. Protests against his order, however, centered on the ban’s apparent discrimination against Muslims.
The order said the US would favour religious minorities when travel from the seven countries is reopened, and in an interview to be broadcast on Sunday Trump said he would favour Christians.
Around 100 people were held at airports on Friday and Saturday. Many were released as a dramatic court victory for the American Civil Liberties Union in New York on Saturday night saw a federal judge place a temporary stay on the order and rule that all those held should be released.
But by late afternoon on Sunday, travellers remained in custody at various airports, with attorneys reporting that some border agents were refusing to comply with the judge’s order.
Dulles airport in Washington, where some travellers were still held, was the scene of tense scenes among protesters, who at one point sang the Star-Spangled Banner, Democratic congressmen and transit officials. A rally led by military veterans was planned to take place at the airport from 7pm ET.
Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Trump’s defeated opponent Hillary Clinton , attended a protest at Battery Park in Manhattan, within sight of the Statue of Liberty, symbol of American openness to refugees and immigrants.
“We will keep standing up for a country that matches our values and ideals for all,” Clinton wrote on Twitter.
Fauzia Khanani at New York City’s rally against Trump’s executive order. Photograph: Paul Owen
Another marcher in New York, Fauzia Khanani, told the Guardian her family had come from Uganda as refugees to Canada and then moved to the US when she was a year old.
She said she was protesting because she was “a Muslim, a product of refugees, a naturalised citizen. I’m appalled and scared and angry and I’m sad about what’s happening and the people that support it but when I come to a place like this, it gives me hope.”
At John F Kennedy international airport, across the city in Queens and the site of a large protest on Saturday, Iman Alknfushe, an Iranian US permanent legal resident who had been held since early the day before, was released to her family at about 3pm. Her release followed that of an Iranian student, Bahide Rasekhikollkdragh, earlier in the day.
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York said that to his knowledge, “four or five” people were still being detained at JFK, down from 13 late on Saturday. The number was fluid because as some were released, more people subject to the terms of the order arrived, including four Somali Americans overnight. They were understood to be permanent legal residents.
“We’re trying to move people from what we believe is unlawful detention as expeditiously as possible,” Jeffries said.
Protesters gather at San Francisco international airport. Photograph: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images
Jeffries described a complex system of court rulings and directives from the Department of Homeland Security and the Trump administration .
“The local border patrol has been relatively cooperative,” he said. “However, the White House chief of staff [Reince Priebus] said today that executive order does not apply to permanent legal residents.
“But even his interpretation is inaccurate. There are are multiple permanent legal residents being detained, in some cases for more than 30 hours.”
Jeffries said it was obvious the White House had put out inaccurate information. “There are legal residents who have been unlawfully detained in their home country. End of story. We’ve seen it time and again,” he said.
The congressman also expressed concern that lawful US residents were being denied permission to return.
“There is a couple in Jordan,” he said, “one of whom is a green card holder, who are being prevented from boarding a flight.”
Thousands gathered at terminal four at JFK Airport to protest the detention of travellers. Photograph: Press vi/Rex/Shutterstock
Protests were also reported at airports serving Dallas-Fort Worth; Miami; Los Angeles; Detroit; Portland, Oregon, and many more cities. A large march took place in the centre of Boston and Houston saw demonstrations near the site of preparations for next week’s Super Bowl. Most protests were peaceful; police said six protesters had been arrested at Charlotte Douglas international airport in South Carolina.
In central Washington DC, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the White House, where Trump was in residence for a day that included a call with the king of Saudi Arabia, a Muslim-majority country not subject to the travel ban.
Many protesters held signs that read “Refugees welcome”. Some chanted a call and response while others outside the White House gates simply shouted: “Shame.”
The march then descended on the Capitol, chanting “do your job” at the mostly absent Congress.
Jennifer Rodriguez, a daughter of Cuban refugees, was wearing a pink “pussyhat” from last weekend’s Women’s March.
“I can’t imagine what would have happened if President Kennedy at that time had decided to do what Trump is doing – to just send them back,” she said, her voice swelling with emotion. “They would have been killed.”
Rodriguez said she was appalled by the actions the new administration had taken and vowed to continue to protest against Trump and his agenda.
“I’ll be here every weekend if that’s what it takes,” she said, as the crowd converged on the Capitol lawn.
Like Rodriguez, several people carried signs that said “child of refugees” and “nation of immigrants”. Many carried signs with the words from the Statue of Liberty that have for generations represented America’s welcoming of immigrants: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
For those who wondered if the Women’s March on Washington would translate into a movement, the spontaneous protest on Sunday was a positive sign.
Afnan Mossaad, a native of Texas whose parents are from Egypt, said she was in disbelief not just as a Muslim but as an American.
“This is not America. These are not the American values that we all know and love,” she said. “It’s time that we speak up. We can’t let [Trump] redefine America. You’ve got to resist. When there’s injustice, you’ve got to stand up for what’s right. This is democracy.”
Heidi Obermeyer at the DC march against Trump’s executive order. Photograph: Sabrina Siddiqui
Dominick Pugliese, a history teacher at a local high school, directed his message not at Trump but at House speaker Paul Ryan, who backed Trump’s order on Friday.
“I know that he knows better than this,” Pugliese said. “People like [Trump aides Steve] Bannon and Kellyanne Conway, the horsemen and horsewomen of the apocalypse, that’s one thing. Paul Ryan knows America’s values and is not only being silent, but supporting this. It’s horrible.”
For those who wondered if the Women’s March on Washington would translate into a movement, the spontaneous protest on Sunday was a positive sign.
Anjali Singh, who heard about the protest on Facebook and came with her friends, said she felt empowered by the rally and already planned to attend future ones. But she couldn’t help but wonder if it was making a difference.
“I want to see action, I want to see policy changes,” she said.
Her friend Zulakha Iqbal said she felt it was important to show up and make her voice heard.
“I’ll be protesting until the next election cycle – until at least 2018,” Iqbal said. “That’s the whole point, keeping up the momentum.”
After about 20 minutes of chanting in front of the Capitol, the protesters began to disperse for the evening.
